Groups of German Prisoners

During the early days of Neuengamme concentration camp, German prisoners (including Austrians, who were considered inhabitants of the Reich) formed the largest group. Initially, the main purpose of the concentration camps had been to imprison the Nazis’ political adversaries. From 1937, more and more members of other persecuted groups – Jewish people, Sinti and Roma, homosexuals, so-called “antisocial elements” and “professional criminals” – were taken to the camps. The reasons for imprisonment were indicated by triangles in different colors on the prisoners’ uniforms. All in all, around 9,500 German prisoners from the Reich were imprisoned at Neuengamme concentration camp, among them around 400 women in the satellite camps.

Further reading at the Learning Center Groups of German Prisoners
Media Library

The complete permanent exhibition "Time Traces" and the other side exhibitions on the grounds of the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial are also available digitally in the memorial's media library. Unfortunately, the media library is only available in German.

media library
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Do you have questions or have you encountered errors while using the website? Then please write to us at:

E-mail: lernwerkstatt@gedenkstaetten.hamburg.de

Phone: +49 40 428 131 551